Them: Are you ready for some football?
You: I was born ready.
Some people count down the milliseconds from the Super Bowl’s final buzzer to the first game of the season — hope springs eternal when everyone is 0-0. Yet, your team may have stumbled and fallen before the actual first day of fall (we see you, Jets and Giants fans). But blowout and last-second losses are easier to stomach when you’ve got good grub, brews and friends to commiserate with you by your side.
Several South Fork bars and restaurants offer special menus, happy hour-style pricing, or plenty of TV and good vibes that’ll have you game-day ready (even if your favorite team is… not).
Smokin’ Wolf BBQ & More, 199 Pantigo Road, East Hampton, 631-604-6470
If you need to sit on your lucky spot on the couch but want to be entertained, Smokin’ Wolf BBQ & More is ready to answer the bell (and your call). The unpretentious spot, loved for its smoked meats, offers a tailgate menu on Thursday nights and all day on Saturdays and Sundays. Packages feed four to six ($120) or eight to ten ($180) guests and include pigs in a blanket, mac ‘n cheese bites, potato skins, wings and sliders — the whole 100 yards. The only rule is that you give them 90 minutes to complete your order.
Southampton Publick House, 62 Jobs Lane, Southampton, 631-283-2800
Southampton Publick House doesn’t offer specific gameday specials — though you can kick Saturday and Sunday off with a brunch that runs until 3 p.m. However, it would be an absolute party foul of facemask proportions to cut this roomy watering hole with 21 flat-screen TVs from our list. The menu reads like a football-viewing playbook anyway, with a hefty 8 oz. sirloin burger, ribs, wings by the dozen, and plenty of beer, cider (including Wölffer Estate), and vino sold by the glass, can, or bottle.
The Corner Bar, 1 Main St., Sag Harbor, 631-725-9760
Set on Sag Harbor’s Main Street (we’ll let you guess where), this casual joint has a long wooden bar built for game-viewing. Surf ‘n turf takes a gameday route in these parts. Stuffed clams, chili nachos with house-made chili and the signature burger (8 oz. of fresh ground sirloin topped with a proprietary mix of mushrooms and onions) are among the menu items that’ll have taste buds and tummies cheering.
Fellingham’s Restaurant Sports Bar, 17 Cameron St., Southampton, 631-283-9417
In 1980, the Pittsburgh Steelers became the first team to win four Super Bowls. But East Enders are partial to calling 1980 a good year because it’s when Fellingham’s Restaurant Sports Bar opened its doors. Now well into its fifth decade in an oft-fickle Hamptons restaurant scene, Fellingham’s has an entire menu dedicated to gamedays called “The Sports Page.” Buffalo wings, jalapeno poppers, corn fritters, fries, burgers, mozzarella sticks — if you’re craving it, there’s a good chance Fellingham’s has it.
Union Burger Bar, 40 Bowden Square, Southampton, 631-377-3323
This gourmet burger joint may serve up patties that would make high-rollers sitting in stadium luxury suites swoon. However, it’s certainly not going for a white-collar vibe. Instead, the casual spot leans into cozy with a side of delicious, especially on gamedays. Football specials include half-priced wings and $5 beers at the bar, where you can also order up adult chicken fingers, sliders and any of the 12 specialty burgers. Or? Make like a fantasy GM and build your own burger dream team with your choice of meat (or meatless), cheese, buns and fixings (like bacon, which is always a winning choice).
The Clubhouse, 174 Daniels Hole Road, East Hampton, 631-537-2695
A haven for New York football fans and those who stand by out-of-market teams, The Clubhouse has 20 screens, five projectors, a theater-sized LED wall and concert-level sound that will leave you feeling like you’re in the middle of the action, even if your team is playing in LA (or Europe, because the NFL does that now). Lombardi Trophy-worthy deals include $30 beer buckets, $5 drafts, and $1 wings (a minimum of seven).
Birdies Ale House, 801 County Road 39 Unit 1, Southampton, 631-259-3822
This humble hangout is considered “The Cheers” of the Hamptons. Come once, and rest assured, not only will everyone remember your name, but the name of your fantasy football quarterback (and all of his stats). You’ll want to remember Birdies’ Southampton address, or at least bookmark it. The spot features football playing all day and serves complimentary hot wings on Sundays at 4 p.m. Birdies doesn’t offer a daily food menu, but guests are permitted to bring in takeout from other local spots, such as neighboring Melrose Pizza and Goldberg’s Bagels. Cocktails like The Painkiller — a dark-rum-driven treat mixed with pineapple and cream of coconut — and The Spiked Arnie (vodka, lemonade, iced tea) are available at the bar and to-go if you’ve seen enough.
Townline BBQ, 3593 Montauk Highway, Sagaponack, 631-537-2271
Football-obsessed Texas does gridiron differently. But Townline BBQ’s Lonestar-state style dishes will leave you with clear eyes and a full belly — truly, you can’t lose. The rustic spot’s pile of nuggs is a consistent crowd pleaser — crispy, smoked and slathered in white sauce, with your choice of seasonings (or naked), it’s an easy app to nosh on while watching games. A giant pretzel, wings, buffalo fries and an ample selection of beer will negate any need for dinner later.
The Point Bar & Grill, 697 Montauk Highway, Montauk, 631-668-1500
You may be ready to say “The End” on your team’s season, but The Point Bar & Grill doesn’t call game — not even after Tumbleweed Tuesday, Indigenous People’s Day or any other time when most other Montauk bars and restaurants sunset for the season. Montauk’s premiere sports bar — helmed by long-time news personality Elisa DiStefano and Hofstra hoops coach-turned-broadcaster Mo Cassara — stays open year-round. A Sunday NFL ticket package and 20 flat-screen TVs mean you can see every game happening at once (plus baseball, hockey and basketball). Straightforward dishes like pulled pork tacos doused in melted Jack cheese and a spicy fried chicken sandwich scream “gameday.”
